Depending on how your fishmonger supplies the herring, you may have
to remove the bones yourself!
To Clean & Fillet the herring:
Cut along the underside of the herring, lay it on a table, cut side down and hit across the backbone in a
few places with a rolling pin or your hand.
Remove the backbone and as many of the smaller bones as possible.
Scrape the scales from the fish with a knife, remove heads and tails.
To coat in Oatmeal:
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and either toss them in a plastic bag with plenty of oatmeal or put the fish on a plate and coat them with oatmeal
You may have to press the oatmeal into the fish to ensure it is fully covered.
To Cook:
Fry in meat dripping or cooking oil, put them
in with the skin side upwards first.
Fry until lightly brown, turn and cook the other side.
It should take 5/7 minutes.
Drain the fish on kitchen paper (paper towels).
Modern books suggest serving with lemon and parsley - old Scots would
not have known such refinements!